(Game 1 Box) (Game 2 Box)
GOSHEN, Ind. – After spending the better part of three days working on the field, the Goshen College baseball team was rewarded with a pair of wins over visiting Alma College on Saturday.
In order to get the field playable, the Maple Leafs spent countless hours removing standing water, raking, and adding dry dirt to a wet playing surface. Several last-minute schedule changes this week – coupled with the field work, which was concluded just in time for Saturday's double-header – led Goshen to host Alma rather than traveling to Brescia University in Kentucky, which has severe thunderstorms on Saturday.
"It was nice to finally play at home after 12 games south of the Ohio River
to start the season," said Head Coach Josh Keister. "We worked extremely hard this week to get the field
ready and it was nice to see that work pay off with two wins."
Able to play in the comfortable surroundings of the Goshen College Baseball Complex for the first time this season, senior Ian Swartz immediately made the work worthwhile as he tossed seven shutout innings and the Maple Leafs won 5-0. Swartz walked just one and struck out four, while scattering seven hits for his first win of the season.
"Ian Swartz pitched an outstanding game and is becoming a solid pitcher for
us this year," added Keister.
After retiring the first four he faced, Swartz loaded the bases in the second with a pair of singles and his only walk of the day. Swartz got out of the jam by striking out Tyler Periard on a big curveball – the Scots struggled with Swartz's breaking ball all afternoon. That was the closest Alma would come to scoring as Swartz retired 10 of the last 13 he would face.
The Maple Leaf offense took four innings to get on the board. After Swartz singled to lead off the inning, Kraig Miller ripped an RBI double to left-center to give Goshen a 1-0 lead. Miller would score two batters later on a RBI knock by freshman Sean Doering.
The Maple Leafs would add another pair in the fifth as three straight singles by Adam Zehr, Mike Malott, and Zach Miller loaded the bases. Swartz would hit a sacrifice fly to score Zehr before Kraig Miller would pick up his second RBI hit of the game to make it a 4-0 ballgame. Goshen would add an insurance run in the sixth after Doering doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Tom McDowell.
The Maple Leafs banged out nine hits in game one, led by Kraig Miller and Sean Doering, who each went 2-for-3.
Alma got on the board first in game two as Adam Carrick doubled to lead off the game and would eventually score on a wild pitch. After starting a little shaky, sophomore Aaron Coy would settle down and sit down 11 of the next twelve he would face.
The Maple Leafs would score four runs in the bottom of the second – all with two outs – to open a 4-1 advantage. Taking advantage of two walks and two Alma errors, the Maple Leafs also got crucial two-out hits by Sean Sears and Mike Malott to fuel the rally.
After giving up a run in the top of the fifth, Goshen responded with three more in the bottom of the frame to increase their lead to 7-2. After a walk by Malott to start the inning, Swartz doubled putting runners on second and third with no outs. An infield single by Kraig Miller plated the first and McDowell singled home the second run for Goshen in the inning. A sacrifice fly by Coy capped the fifth-inning scoring.
The Maple Leafs would score two more in the sixth on a RBI groundout by Swartz and a sacrifice fly – Goshen's fourth of the day – by Joel King.
Aaron Coy pitched six solid innings, giving up just on earned run before Mark Springer came on to pitch a scoreless seventh inning. "Sophomore Aaron Coy didn't have his good stuff but battled
and got the win," said Keister.
Kraig Miller banged out two more hits, while Sears busted out of a slump, going 2-for-2 with a walk. Six different Maple Leafs knocked home a run leading to the 9-2 victory and double-header sweep.
"Sophomore Kraig Miller had another good day offensively as
he has all year. It's nice for us to have a little momentum going into a
big conference series with Taylor Tuesday and Thursday," added Keister.
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Senior Ian Swartz